Japan is creating camps to help internet-addicted kids

With over 500,000 known cases of children being addicted to the internet in Japan, the Ministry of Education wants to hold fasting camps to get kids and teens away from technology. So many kids and teens are addicted to their computers, cell phones, and gaming devices that sleep issues, eating disorders, and other medical issues are sadly becoming commonplace.

The Ministry of Education wants to send children to special camps where they have no access to electronics, to re-introduce them to life outside of virtual reality. These camps will have all sorts of fun games, sports, and outdoor activities for the kids to participate in, as well as “psychiatrists and clinical psychotherapists on hand to provide counseling should the transition back into the real world prove too traumatic.”

So basically, the ministry wants to re-introduce the concept of “summer camp.” I don’t know how summer camps are these days, but when I was younger the only form of technology at the camps I went to were the televisions and CD players used for special movie screening nights and talent shows. I think the ministry has come up with a great idea but only time will tell if something like this will actually be effective or not in the long run